As great as Mingzhu Li is, I have to say I couldn't be happier that Caroline has finally seen the light. This change is long overdue.

If it's true, I hope it IS a good change. My heart (unlike yours) sinks a little on hearing about all these coaching changes right before Olympic season. It seems desperate. But whatever is really happening, I hope it works out well for Caroline.

If it's true, I hope it IS a good change. My heart (unlike yours) sinks a little on hearing about all these coaching changes right before Olympic season. It seems desperate. But whatever is really happening, I hope it works out well for Caroline.

Coaching changes are normal and can be overcome quickly. Waiting until the Olympic season to wage a comeback, however- seems like a last ditch attempt for these skaters.

Yep, a very reliable source on another board reports this has happened and that Caroline and Mom are actively looking for a new coach.

We are heading into a season of change for sure. Who will be next?

Really?! Do you have a link to the original post?

I'm surprised, but I'm happy for her on the whole. I think Li really cannot help her move on to the next level, and time is really running out on her. She's made relatively incremental and minor improvements since her JGP break-out season at age 13. Now she's 16, and her PCS has hardly improved at all, which has been a really serious problem for her. I'm so happy that she's willing to shake things up a little.

She had said something about change being a good thing, but I hadn't realized that a coaching change was on her mind. I hope she goes to someone who can really help her. Maybe John Nicks? He seems to really like her skating. He gave some very supportive quotes in this news article on Caroline post-National's.http://www.ocregister.com/articles/z...07-one-olympic

Caroline has many of the same excellent qualities Sasha Cohen had as a young skater, and also some of the same weaknesses. Nicks really helped Cohen polish into a beautiful artistic skater with great presence, perhaps he can help Caroline with the same. Nicks never could help Cohen gain steely competitive nerves (maybe she couldn't be helped), but luckily Caroline doesn't need much help in this respect!

Actually, I wonder if whoever she gets as a new coach would encourage her to get her LP from a different choreographer, since she hasn't gotten her LP from Lori Nichols yet. That would be doubly good news.

The USFSA has been sending Zhang a message by lowballing her at Nationals compared to Flatt and Czisny (and how she does internationally) and not giving her Skate America after beating Czisny and Flatt at Four Continents and Flatt again at the World Team Challenge.

While Zhang was consistent for most of this year, her GP results really hurt her reputation in the eyes of the National judges. It is time to push her out of her comfort zone and force her to improve.

It isn't clear if a coaching change is the answer...or just someone to take charge. Many have said that Caroline runs the show...and doesn't leave her comfort zone.

It is a paradox, because she clearly does want to improve and do well.

Zhang is a smart girl, she has likely seen the light.

Li Mingzhu obviously is less than perfect in terms of a technical coach. She was good at training Lulu, but Lulu always sought outside help from Frank Carroll, Carlo Fassi, Christy Ness, etc.

She made gpf on her first try, which no other girls have done, and she still didn't get love from the national judges. Part of me wants her to get a coach who can really politik her, as making the olympic team seems like the greatest challenge.

I'm so glad she's working with a new coach, whoever s/he might be. IMO she should have done so a year ago. Now only if she could get a new choreagrapher... Does anyone know if she's willing to relocate outside Cali?

IMO she should have done so a year ago. Now only if she could get a new choreagrapher... Does anyone know if she's willing to relocate outside Cali?

Yeah, no kidding, I've been advocating a coaching change for her for a long time (and for Mirai, too; I'm so glad that both have come to pass, or about to, it's been long overdue!).

I have a feeling that she's going to stick to the LA region instead of relocating, since she must have been checking out new coach possibilities for at least a little while, and yet she hasn't traveled out of the area (at least I don't think so). There are quite a few good coaches around here. If not John Nicks then Christy Ness. Does anyone know which skater(s) of note Ness coached besides Kristie Yamaguchi?

I like Nicks for her because besides his excellent resume, he also has national and international standing as an elite coach, I think that would really do her some good at this point.

She can't really be going to Lake Arrowhead to train with Arutunian, can she?! Together with Sasha?! Somehow, I can't really imagine that in my mind. But you never know, I never thought Frank Carroll would take Carolina Kostner on in addition to Mirai Nagasu, either, even as a summer student.

Ness is responsible for working with Lu Chen at the height of her career in 95 and 96, until she was called back to China. She worked around her foot injury and got her into peak athletic form. Li Mingzhu then told that Chinese gov't that Lulu would defect and they ordered her back to China.

I wouldn't be shocked if Li Mingzhu isn't great at politicking...especially with her working with so many members of the Chinese National Team.

I don't think a coaching change was obvious after the 2007-08 season. It was much more obvious after her Grand Prix season this past fall.

Ness also worked with Bebe Liang for a year, but Bebe's family didn't want to move to the Bay Area.

Oh, what about Charlene Wong, now that Mirai has left? Mirai learned to skate with excellent speed, and jump with real height. I don't know how much of that is due to Wong, but it'd be amazing if Caroline can develop in those directions.

The one thing I'm unsure about Wong is that Mirai really hasn't had great programs while with Wong, and Caroline really needs better programs herself.